Exclusive: The English Beat, “Save It For Later” (Remastered Version)

Legendary British ska and rock band The English Beat (a.k.a The Beat) will release The Complete Beat, a 5-CD overview of their career, next Tuesday via Shout! Factory. The Complete Beat includes the band’s three studio albums with bonus tracks, which have been remastered from the original tapes. The bonus material, the majority of which has never been released on CD, includes three sessions from John Peel’s show on BBC Radio 1, tracks from a live show at Boston’s Opera House, and 12″ and dub versions of the band’s biggest singles. Enter our contest today (time is of the essence) for your chance to win a copy of the The Complete Beat, tickets to a show and more.

We’re excited to bring you the remastered version of “Save It For Later,” one of the band’s best-loved tunes. . . just ask Pete Townshend and Eddie Vedder.

“Written around a sniggering school boy joke, save it for later = save it, fellator! It was about becoming a man, but still feeling like a boy,” English Beat frontman Dave Wakeling tells American Songwriter via e-mail.

“I had tried to tune my guitar to DADGAD to play along with Jon Martyn tunes in late 70’s before The English Beat started. I accidently came up with DADAAD, so I made up my own chord shapes and enjoyed the hypnotic drone of the tuning on my national steel for hour after hour.

“‘Save It For Later’ was released on Beat’s 3rd album, Special Beat Service, and soon became our most popular song, which it still is to this day earning about 1/3 of the catalogues publishing, appearing in movies Kingpin, Hot Tub Time Machine, Funny People, Sky High, Going The Distance, Since You’ve Been Gone, and 200 Cigarettes.

“In the mid-80’s, Pete Townshend called me out of the blue to say that he and Dave Gilmour were about to cover the song, but couldn’t work out the tuning! One finger wonder Wakeling instructing his guitar heroes?! Ha ha ha! Pete has since done a number of great covers of the song and always mentions it as a favorite, as did Robert Plant when it was released. Also covered by Pearl Jam, as a segue in “Better Man,” with which it shares a striking similarity! Also covered by Harvey Danger and The Wonderstuff, it is The English Beat’s most covered song, and remains a highlight of our live set every night. I’ve played it at every show for 30 years and fully expect to for the next 30 also!

I’m still waiting for it to be used as a TV commercial for a pension or retirement fund, so if you know anyone interested, me and my 401k would be generously grateful! LOL. Let me know!”